THIS BLOG OPPOSES DRACONIAN LAWS & POLITICAL SCAPEGOATING BY SOME POLITICIANS! * THE PUNISHMENT IS THE CRIME * FOR A WORLD WITHOUT VIOLENCE * WHERE DOES THAT COME FROM? * A) DALAI LAMA: "LOVE, PEACE AND KINDNESS YOU CAN'T BREAK IT." * B) FREDERICK NIETZSCHE: "LOVE YOUR ENEMY." * THERE IS ALSO FORGIVENESS BUT YOU DON'T GET THE COMPLETE PROTECTION UNLESS YOU ACCEPT BOTH OF THE A & B CONDITIONS * & FOR THAT YOU MUST COME TO TERMS WITH C) FORGIVENESS * :-)

Friday, November 8, 2002

Litigants are drowning under a spiraling workload of dissatisfaction about not getting assistants to make an application to the High Court fighting their legal battles before the court without lawyers.

There were so many self represented litigants appearing in the High Court that more than half of its registry staff's time was taken up in dealing with them. The "go it alone" litigants have to take on tasks well above their qualified league causing them stress. This growing problem cannot be left unchecked.

The court's annual report revealed the overall, workload of the court, in terms of the number of new cases lodged, have increased by 34 per cent.

The number of constitutional writs lodged one of two ways, along with special leave applications, to take cases to the High Court rose from 81 to 300 in a year.

The bulk of these cases 96 per cent were immigration matters resulting from changes to migration laws.The blame for the escalating immigration caseload rests with amendments to the Migration Act made in October last year, which restricts the High Court from sending matters back to the Federal Court.

The High Court's most vehement criticism was reserved for the litigants who decided to fight their legal battles without lawyers.

The number of such people lodging applications in the High Court rose from 162 to 197 in a year and posed 'special difficulties' for the Court, the report said.

"Typically, they had very few assets (as judged by applications for exemption from fees on the grounds of financial hardship) or were in possession of a pensioner concession card or a health benefit card or they were an inmate of a prison or otherwise lawfully detained in a public institution, " the report said.

The report blamed the rise on the lack of financial disincentives for people without lawyers from bringing "hopeless cases", with 85 per cent of such litigants not paying any court fees last year.

Ten years ago, the number of special leave applications decided by the High Court which involved self represented litigants amounted to 5 per cent of the total; it rose to 14 per cent in 1996 ant to 28 per cent last year.

By David Thomas 8 November 2002

Ed: Perhaps if the said litigants were given support then there would be less 'hopeless cases', less stress, and the extra time wasted by the High Court who is obligated to devote so much time of its members to so many proceedings with such small prospect of success would pay the professional lawyers to support litigants.

It is an absolute disgrace to: Undermine civil and democratic rights The event, hosted by a State MP Lee Rhiannon just a week before the meeting of the World Trade Organisation in Sydney, has enraged Police Minister Michael Costa, who said using the House for the event was appalling. Upper House Greens MP Lee Rhiannon is hosting the forum for about 60 people in State Parliament's Jubilee Room on November 8.

Prisoners can prove innocence for $20?Les Kennedy Daily Telegraph reported today that" Prisoners who believe that DNA will prove they were wrongly convicted will have the chance to prove their innocence for a mere $20 administration fee. The move comes 20 months after NSW inmates were asked to provide DNA for comparison with a databank of DNA from unsolved crime scenes for possible convictions.

Mr. & Mrs. Mandatory SentencingWell congratulations to the bride and groom. Could you please be upstanding and raise your glasses for Mr. And Mrs. Mandatory.

NSW Parliament Bitter Pills To Swallow?One delusion pill: So people who investigate their own mistakes make sure there was no mistake or someone else made the mistake. Perhaps you're not biased and you will be honest about it.

2,500 crooked detectives? Or a corrupt Government?We are all too willing to blame corrupt police, but very little penalties have been given out for those crimes. Some of those penalties are also incredibly reduced. All over Australia people are reporting the same thing. I spoke to the Western Australian newspaper one day. "When there is the commission of a crime (corruption) and no suitable penalty is imposed for that crime, then we have to look deeper to define the hand that meters out penalties in relation to all citizens subject to the law and the law alone and that includes the police, the DPP, Politicians and Government officials at the highest levels.

Australia's Political Underworld...& their enforcersThe promotion of law and order means money to big business. Profits from insurance, security fixtures, patrol services and the like can only continue to grow if the perceived threat of uncontrollable crime wave escalates. In the past few months there have been many examples of the true nature of our blood thirsty politicians and their sinister attempts to spoon-feed a not so gullible public with their repetitious rhetoric.

Police Chronology 1994-2001View events in the NSW Police Force since the Wood Royal Commission began in 1994. 1994 May Justice James Wood is appointed Commissioner of the Royal Commission into the NSW Police Service ('WRC').